Disowned

“Argh,” Emma groaned, squinting her eyes as she struggled to adjust to the glaring light above.

“What is this place?” she whispered, her voice shaking while scanning her gaze through the four-square unfamiliar room.

She tried to sit up but felt a tug in her hand. Looking down, she realized she had been connected to an IV line hanging from a pole beside her bed.

She was in the hospital.

She let out a soft sigh as the memories of the last event she could remember flooded her mind.

With pain carved into her heart, she murmured, “How consistent,” tears blurring her vision as she stared at the empty wall in front of her.

Fifteen years ago, after her mother, Mrs. Harriet Murphy, contracted an incurable illness, Mr. Murphy, her father, didn’t hesitate in bringing his mistress, Monica, and her spoiled daughter, Lora, to live with them.

And since then, everything Emma owned, her luxurious life, the love and care from her father, and her best friend, Ethan was taken away from her.

Emma’s hands shook as memories began to flood her mind, but before she could dwell further, the door slammed open, revealing a woman clad in a coffee-color mini gown, a limited-edition heel, and red lipstick that highlighted her flawless oval face. The excitement in her eyes was too palpable to be ignored.

“Stepsister,” Lora purred, moving closer with a malicious smile etched on her face. “I didn’t expect you to wake up from a coma so soon, but it seems life still wants me to offer you more of my kind gestures,” she uttered, her face flushing with excitement.

“Haven’t you done enough, Lora?”

“Enough? Oh, sister, I am scared that I have only just started…” She paused, her expression darkening.

“And by the time I am done with you, you will wish your sick mother never had you,” she uttered, laughing lightly.

Emma’s heart skipped at what Lora said. Her mother had left town to stay in the village with her grandmother ten years ago since her illness only grew worse. The doctors had advised her to wait for her death in the village so she wouldn’t cause any discomfort to her family, and aside that, Mrs. Monica wasn’t going easy in mouth-shaming her.

Tears pricked Emma’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Lora was the last person she was going to be vulnerable to.

“How dare you call my mother into this?” Emma questioned with a shaky voice.

“What would you do about it? Beat me?”

“I…” Emma was about to speak but decided to hold back.

Lora scoffed. “I thought as much, and even if you tell Dad, he won’t take your words over mine.”

Emma sighed, pain stabbing her core. As hurtful as it was, it was the truth: her father had always supported Lora, even when she was at fault.

“I guess that’s what you’ve always wanted. Why not leave me alone now that you have Dad’s love?” Emma asked, wrestling with the urge to burst into tears.

“Hahahah!” Lora laughing scornfully “Dad’s love isn’t enough, Emma, I want everything, down to the air you breathe.”

Emma’s temple pulsed "was she serious right now?"

“And come to think of it, I never thought you’d be so delusional as to believe I’d let you marry Ethan.”

“But you don’t love him!” Emma fired back, anger etched in her voice.

“Who are you to be the judge of my relationship?”

“If you loved him so much, why did you leave five years ago after his accident?”

Five years ago, after Ethan returned from college, he had been in a fatal accident that left him in a coma for two weeks. The doctors had said he might never survive, and even if he did, he would need constant care and a wheelchair to move around because of the damage in his legs.

Everyone abandoned him and completely ignored him after the news circulated, including Lora, but not Emma.

Emma saw it as an opportunity to be with the man she had loved since childhood and moved in with him to show how much she cared.

After four years and a few months, Ethan completely healed from his leg’s injury. And just when she thought he was going to keep his promise of doing forever with her,

He offered her money as compensation for the five years she had loved, cared for, and stood by him.

“How cruel,” Emma seethed inwardly.

“Because I can’t be with a cripple,”

“So, what changed? Why did you come back to take my husband away?”

“Your husband?” Lora chuckled. “It didn’t seem that way when he walked out of your so-called wedding to meet me.”

Tears trailed down Emma’s cheeks. It was nobody’s fault except hers. If she wasn’t so desperate and stupid, she wouldn’t have expected Ethan to suddenly start loving her, and none of this would have happened. But now that it had happened, she wasn’t going to let Lora climb on her.

She used the back of her hand to clean her tears and yelled, “Evil bitch! I hope everyone gets to see your true personality one day and hate you for it!”

Lora’s eyes darkened with anger. She strode to Emma’s bedside and slapped her across the face.

“Thwack!”

“How dare you speak to me like that, scumbag?”

Emma pressed her hands to her cheeks, her eyes welling with tears, but there was nothing much she could do because she was still connected to the IV line. 

Lora let out a huge sigh and started stomping out of the ward but halted when she got to the door, a wide smile appearing on her face.

She hastened back to Emma and picked up the flower jar by her bedside and hurled it against the wall.

She picked up a shredded piece and sliced her hand with it, letting blood run down. She stepped on the shattered pieces on the floor too.

Emma stared, speechless. “What is wrong with you, Lora? How can you be so malicious by hurting yourself just to frame me?”

“You just wait till I am done with you.”

“Emma! I’m sorry. Blame me all you can, but not Ethan!”

“Lora?!” a familiar masculine voice called, followed by a woman’s voice, then another man that sounded like Mr. Murphy.

Lora let out a wide smile when she heard footsteps approaching the ward.

“I didn’t mean to ruin your wedding! But if you think….”

Bang! The door opened, but Lora didn’t stop.

“If throwing glasses at me will make you feel better, then go ahead!”

“Lora!” Ethan called and frantically carried her in his arms.

“Are you hurt?” he questioned while scanning his gaze over Lora, who was crying profusely, and hastily ran out to find a doctor.

“It’s a li…” Emma tried to defend herself when Mr. Murphy cut her short.

“I didn’t train you to be this wicked, Emma, but now that you have chosen this path, I am left with no other choice than to disown you. You are dead to me, Emma, I never want to see you again” he yelled, anger etched in his voice, and stormed out of the ward.